Several different types of vehicles are commonly used for collection of household and commercial refuse. Some types of refuse collection vehicles are rear-loading, in which a packer mechanism is adapted to move refuse deposited in a hopper that is a part of the tailgate assembly into a storage compartment that is permanently mounted on the vehicle. Other types of refuse collection vehicles are front-loading or side-loading. It is also known to provide a collection vehicle in which a storage compartment or container is detachably mounted on the vehicle. Such vehicles are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,525 of Bowles, U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,896 of Quinto, U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,390 of Christenson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,350 of Christenson and U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,393 of Georg.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,087 of Roedel et al. describes a rear loading vehicle with a detachably mounted storage container having a sloped rear wall that is provided with a hinged door that may be opened to provide access for deposit and compaction of refuse through the door opening. U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,600 of Klanner et al. describes a rear loading vehicle with a detachably mounted storage container and a tailgate assembly that includes support arms that are pivotally mounted to the front of the vehicle chassis in front of the removable container. U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,613 of Torimoto describes a rear loading vehicle having a detachable storage container and a tailgate assembly that is pivotally mounted to the top of a pair of vertical supports at the rear of the vehicle chassis behind the container. U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,415 of Lewis describes a rear loading vehicle with a detachably mounted storage container and a detachably mounted tailgate assembly. All of these rear loading vehicles with detachably mounted storage containers have a number of disadvantages. The storage containers of the Roedel and Klanner vehicles have no means other than sloping rear walls to prevent compacted trash from rebounding or otherwise spilling out of the container when the packing mechanisms are removed therefrom. The storage container of the Torimoto vehicle relies on a vertically mounted sliding door to prevent compacted trash from rebounding out of the container. Furthermore, the Roedel and Klanner vehicles are not susceptible to use with standardized storage containers. In addition, operation of the Klanner vehicle requires the tailgate assembly to be moved above the storage container and the container dragged from beneath the tailgate assembly in order to remove it from the vehicle. Similarly, operation of the Torimoto vehicle requires the tailgate assembly to pivot above the removable container, so that the container must be removed from the side of the vehicle with a fork lift. Although the Lewis vehicle may be used with a standardized container, its rear loader assembly must be completely disengaged from the vehicle and mounted on a support stand before the container can be removed.
Standard-sized containers (sometimes referred to as intermodal containers because many of them can be carried by various modes of transport) are widely used for transport and temporary storage of various products. Such containers include a container enclosure that is mounted within a standardized container frame which is adapted for stacking with other similar containers and (usually) for shipment by rail, truck or ship. The most common containers that are hauled by truck are 10 or 20 feet long, 8 feet wide and 8.5 feet high. Various other sizes are also in use. In order to be commercially successful, containers for intermodal shipping must be designed and built to internationally recognized standards such as those issued by the United Nations, the International Standards Organization (ISO) and the Association of American Railroads (AAR). These organizations promulgate standards for such containers relating to all facets of handling and carriage, including, among other things, strength, size, weight and materials used in the construction of the container. Applicable standards for intermodal shipping containers such as are described herein include ISO 1496/IV, AAR M-930, the United Nations' Council for Safe Containers (CSC) and Customs/TIR.
It would be desirable if a rear-loader refuse collection vehicle could be developed that could be used to store and compact refuse in a standardized removable storage container. It would also be desirable if such a vehicle could be developed that would not require the removal of the tailgate assembly or any complicated removal procedure for moving the container off of the vehicle. It would also be desirable if such a vehicle could be developed that could be operated in such a way that there would be little risk of compacted refuse rebounding or otherwise spilling out of the container.